Hasta La Gadget!

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Zach, who needs a new home for his PC internals. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“For various reasons, I am going to be moving my computer around a lot more frequently soon, and I am looking for a new computer case that’s relatively easy to take around. Basically, I mean the type of case with handle(s) on the top. It needs to be an ATX mid-tower, and I’d like it as cheap as I can get without it being horrible (I do have an overclocked CPU and a dedicated cooling unit, so it needs to be well-vented).

I’m not a fan of garish cases with lots of LEDs — I especially really dislike green / blue LEDs (I’m getting really sick of my current case, which is decked-out in blue). I might be cool with red or orange, though. However, any aesthetics come second to utility and price.”

Zach, we like your style. You’re probably well on your way to becoming a man, and a sophisticated one at that. Here’s hoping you’ll receive loads of similarly sophisticated answers from sophisticated men and women below.

Ask Engadget: best non-garish ATX mid-tower for the budget gamer? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eric Franklin’s impression of the recently released Back to the Future: The Game: Episode One on the PC.

Much of this stuff was shown off publicly for the first time at CES last week, but we thought it might be interesting to get everything that wireless charging company Powermat has planned for 2011 into one convenient place — and that’s exactly what this here slide deck has done for us. The first products in the pipeline for this year include a charging case for the Nokia N8, targeted for early Q2, along with a two-device portable charging mat that includes a built-in battery (7,800mAh!) that promises up to four full smartphone charges while staying completely off the grid; look for those to run $40 and $130, respectively. Later in the quarter, you’ll get a white two-unit mat (all of Powermat’s gear is black right now, so it’s a nice change of pace), several colored iPhone 4 cases, a BlackBerry Torch case, and an $80 so-called Power! Case for the iPhone 4 that integrates an external 1,800mAh battery for extra juice on the go.

Moving on to the third quarter of the year, you’ll see a dual-power one-device mat that can be powered either from the wall or a USB port for $40, a car mount that inductively charges your Powermat-enabled device, and an iPod touch case. Finally, the 1X Rechargeable Mat comes late in Q3, packing some undetermined (or at least unlisted) amount of juice into a mat that looks roughly similar to the existing one-device mat that’s already on the market; like Powermat’s other battery-powered mats, this one lets you juice devices when you’re not near an outlet, and it’ll be available for $70. Hit up the gallery for the full deck!

Powermat’s 2011 product roadmap: colorful iPhone cases, extended batteries, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A game currently in development by Mattel will let you play Angry Birds in real life.

The iPhone and iPad game has been near or at the top of the Apple App Store’s “most popular” list for months, and has been downloaded more than 50 million times. It’s been praised for its realistic physics engine, which lets you fling virtual birds at wooden and glass fortresses containing little green pigs. And it’s ridiculously addictive.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that Rovio, the makers of the game, is partnering with Mattel to make a game that lets you do all this in real life. It’ll be available in May, 2011 for $15.

Game play is simple: You pick a card and build the structure shown on it. Then your opponent uses a little catapult to fling little plastic birds at the structure, scoring points for knocking it down.

What could be easier? I like the way this game takes a classic kids’ activity — knocking down your sister’s tower of blocks — and turns it into a constructive group game. I only wish the blocks, birds and catapult were a little bit bigger. As it is, the plastic pieces are too small and lightweight. In my house, they’ll probably get batted under the couch by the cat or swallowed by the dog in no time.

Until then, though, this game promises to be just as fun as, and less socially isolating than, the iPhone version.

Chocolate-maker Lotte has teamed up with izakaya chain Warawara to offer four unique menu items this month. The unusual, potentially stomach-churning dishes include chocolate and carbonara sauce dips, priced between 300 and 400 JPY each ($3.60-4.80).

What sounds like saccharine sacrilege to some might just be every girls’ dream. The key sugary ingredient behind the “chocolate food” (choco meshi, チョコめし) is of course Lotte’s trademark product, the Ghana Milk chocolate bar. It follows hot on the heels of other hype-generating Lotte collaboration stunts with ramen shops, instant noodles and hamburgers.

According to WalkerPlus a Lotte survey of 312 females from middle school age to their forties found that 13.8% were aware of “chocolate food”. Not a huge percentage but it does indicate plenty of potential for new Valentine’s Day products!